Ladder-climbing attaching for boots and shoes.



. 0. I. SGHENGK.

LADDER CLIMBING ATTACHMENT FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

7 APPLICATION FILED 001.18, 1910.

Patented July 11, 1911.

amen bow C Ll FTON LScHENcK caLuMBlA PLANOGRAPH co. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFTON I. SCI-IENGK, 0F OWOSS O, MICHIGAN.

LADDER-CLIMBING ATTACHMENT FOB. BOOTS AND SHOES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFTON I. SGHENOK, citizen of the United States, residing at Owosso, in the county of Shiawassee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ladder- Climbing Attachments for Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The device which is the subject of the present invention is designed more particu larly to be worn by painters, carpenters and others whose work requires the use of a ladder, the purpose of the invention being to provide a device which'efl'ectually prevents slipping, and which is so constructed that it relieves the instep of the wearers foot of all strain. The device can also be conveniently worn as a shoe protector by persons walking on cinders, gravel, and other places that tend to cut the sole of the shoe.

The invention also has for its object to provide a device of the-kind stated which is simple in constructionfand durable, and which can be easily put on or taken off.

WVith these objects in view, the invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which drawing Figure l is a plan View of one of the devices, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are bottom plan and perspective views, respectively, showing the position of the device when in use.

As shown in the drawing, the device comprises a sole plate 1, a heel portion 2, and an intermediate arched portion 3 connecting the same, these parts being of a suitable thickness and shaped to fit the bottom of the boot or shoe. The device will be made right and left, and in various sizes, and it is made in one piece of any suitable metal, such as malleable iron, sheet steel, aluminum, or a composition of metals, and it may be struck up, cast, or constructed in any economical manner.

At the opposite edges of the part 1 are upstanding ears a having slots 79 to receive toe straps 4t having their ends adjustably fastened together by a buckle or other suit able fastening device 5. The part 2 has up standing flanges a to fit around the. heel of the boot or shoe to which the device. is applied. These flanges have slots 6 to receive Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Application filed October 18, 1910. Serial No. 587,665.

ankle straps 6 which are also provided with a buckle or other adjustable fastening 7. The ears a and flanges a may be formed integral. with the main body of the device as shown in Fig. 1, and they are bent up to the posit-ion shown in Fig. 2. The under side of the parts 1 and 2 have countersunk holes 72, to reduce the weight of'the device.

It will be noted that the part 2 is longer than the heel of the shoe to which the device is applied, so that said part may extend some distance in front of the shoe heel as shown in the drawing, in which the dotted line f denotes the front edge of the heel. The part 2 is perfectly flat so as to fit 1snugly against the bottom of the shoe hee The front end ofthe part 1 is bent up slightly as indicated at 6 so as to come in contact with the front or toe portion of the shoe sole, and thus prevent anything from catching therebetween. This upward bend also makes walking more convenient. The remaining portion of the part 1 is flat up to the intermediate part 3, the latter starting at the rear end of the part 1, and terminating at the front end of the part 2. The dotted line cl in Figs. 1 and 3 shows the line on which the arched portion commences, and also the angle which said line makes with the longitudinal axis of the shoe, this being an angle of about 15 degrees. At the point where the arch joins the part 2, the former is shaped to form a shoulder a which engages the rungs of the ladder as shown in Fig. 4, and prevents the foot from slipping forward. This shoulder is parallel to the line (Z, in view of which the feet, when the wearer of the device is standing on the rung of a ladder, are spread apart a distance of thirty degrees, which is the usual and most convenient position. The shoulder is curved to fit snugly on the rung, and it will also be seen that the shoulder is in advance of the heel of the shoe, it being nearer the natural instep of the foot, thereby giving the wearer a natural balance to the body when standing on the ladder. Another advantage of this arrangement is that the weight of the body is on the sole and heel of the foot, thus relieving all strain,

-upon the instep and preventing tiring of the foot. The wearer can ascend and descend the ladder withv ease without removing the device. The construction of the de vice is such that it is also adapted as a shoe protector, thus making it convenient to persons Walking on cinders, gravel, and other rough places that would cut the sole of the shoe.

The device can be readily attached and detached by means of the straps shown, and the latter securely hold it in place, no other fastening means being required.

I claim:

1. A ladder climbing attachment for boots or shoes comprising a plate having sole and heel portions, and an intermediate portion connecting the same, said intermediate portion at its junction with the heel portion forming a shoulder which extends at an oblique angle to the longitudinal axis of the boot or shoe, and is adapted to engage the rungs of a ladder, and fastening means for said attachment.

2. A ladder climbing attachment for boots or shoes comprising a plate having sole and heel portions, and an intermediate portion connecting the same, said intermediate portion at its junction with the heel portion forming an oblique transverse shoulder which is located in advance of the front end of the heel of the boot or shoe and is adapted to engage the rungs of a ladder, and fastening means for said attachment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLIFTON I. SCHENCK.

\Vitnesses GEORGE E. IIARRISON, LEE H. RETAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

